Recherches récentes et en cours à la Station d'Ecophysiologie des Plantes Fourragères de Lusignan

Recent and current research work at the Station d’Ecophysiologie des Plantes Fourragères, Lusignan

Current research work at the Forage Plant Ecophysiology Research Station is guided by the particularities of grassland populations and their utilization, as well as by present and foreseeable trends in farming practices. Three main objectives have been set up. One is the adaptation of forage species to drought and to nitrogen shortage, which are two major limitations to grassland productivity. The aim is to describe the physiological mechanisms involved and to incorporate this knowledge into physiological models, but also to compare the specific responses of the most common forage species and genotypes to shortages of water and nitrogen. The second research topic is the study of plant morphogenesis when there is competition for light, as this is a major factor of plant behaviour in grassland swards, through the morphological plasticity of individual plants to defoliation (according to its frequency and intensity). Besides, morphological responses to competition for light are a major factor in the determination of changes in the botanical composition. The third topic is the study of relationships between sward structure, growth and forage quality in Lucerne and in perennial grasses.